Democrats Suffer 'Demoralizing' Defeats In New York And Nevada

"Republicans pulled off an upset in Tuesday's special election in New York City to replace former congressman Anthony Weiner," NPR's Joel Rose reports. "Bob Turner claimed victory over Democrat David Weprin."

And in Nevada on Tuesday, "Republican Mark Amodei, a former state GOP chairman and state senator, easily defeated Democratic state Treasurer Kate Marshall," the Reno Gazette Journal reports, in a special election to fill the seat vacated when former Rep. Dean Heller (R) was named to replace Sen. John Ensign (R).

The Republican victory in Nevada was no surprise. But Weiner's district in New York is heavily Democratic. Politico says the losses "marked the latest in a string of demoralizing setbacks that threatened to deepen the party's crisis of confidence and raise concerns about President Barack Obama's political fortunes."

Weiner resigned because of a "sexting" scandal involving photos and messages he sent to various women, and his subsequent lies about what he had done.